Family Trials
by Bishie95
Summary: After L died, he left two very important people behind. They were his sons... only they didn't know they were his children. Now, with the appearance of this unknown woman, everything the three Wammy heirs have ever know is about to change. Can they ever learn to be a family.. even a dysfunctional one? *Rated M for language and possible shounen-ai/yaoi references and adult content.*
1. Family Meeting

**A/N: Hello, I have decided to go against my better judgement and post a story before I have finished most of it. I am terribly lazy, and often find it hard to finish a story, so I'm sorry in advanced to any people who will be disappointing with my not-so-frequent updates. Any who~! I was really excited about this story idea, though I'm not sure yet how it will end. Also, this story is obviously set in an AU (alternate universe) and I am trying my hardest to stay true to the manga time line... at least as far as birth dates are concerned. That being said, Mello is 17, Matt is 16, and Near is 15. My own character, A, is 29. Okay, that's all I will say for now. I hope you enjoy this little taste of my newest crazy creation.**

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It was relatively bright in the small hotel suite as a young blond sat in the chair beside the large window. The boy, barely seventeen years of age, was slouched in the uncomfortable chair, twirling the piece of paper he held in his hands. A look akin to irritation was plastered to his face, and he seemed to barely be able to contain himself. Across the room, another boy, with red-tinted brown hair was lounging quite comfortably across the long, plush couch. There was a constant beeping being emitted from the brunet's portable game system, and every few moments, a whispered curse would leave the boy's mouth.

Unknown to these two boys, across the building, on the same floor, was another small youth in much the same predicament as them. He too had received a letter and was now waiting under the constant watch of his current caretakers, Anthony Rester and Halle Linder. The boy, child-like in a sense, was lying quite happily in his stomach, playing with an assortment of small toys and dice.

At exactly three o'clock, the inhabitants of both rooms began to stir; the letters they received had explicit instruction on how to proceed to a meeting room located on their floor. Both parties never crossed paths, that having been the entire purpose of all this.

The first to enter into their destination was the two boys, the blond having been eager to end this charade. When the door shut behind the less-than-excited brunet, a click was heard as the door locked itself.

The blond swore, putting any good sailor to shame with his colorful vocabulary, and began pounding on the wooden obstruction. The brunet attempted to calm his friend, but when this proved to be unsuccessful, he made his way around the room to look out the large back wall that was made entirely out of glass. Matt was stand with his face nearly plastered to the window, and Mello was still attempting to kick down the door when another door across the room opened and a man and woman made their way inside.

"Near!" spat the blond, his curious mood having turned sour when he realized he was unable to open the door. He knew only a sick, little bastard like Near would do something like this. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The two adults stepped aside as the pale boy entered the room, letting the door slip closed behind him.

"Stop the door!" Matt screamed suddenly, reaching for the door though he would never reach.

Halle turned to grab the door, but was to late; it had already locked.

"What's going on?" Anthony demanded, looking between the still fuming blond and the disappointed brunet.

"You tell me," Mello said viciously, crossing his arms across his chest in what only Matt knew to be pouting.

Near stepped forward, his arm outstretched to display a paper similar to the one Mello still held. "I received a letter. I assumed it was either you or someone from Wammy's. The one who sent it knew... information about myself that should have only been known to a select few."

"It sure as hell wasn't me. If I wanted to talk to you I would have just found you, but wait, I don't like you," the older boy said not bothering to hide his obvious distaste for the younger.

"Mels, stop it. Now is not the time," Matt said, looking sternly at his friend; and to everyone's surprise, Mello shut his mouth, glared at Matt, and finally dropped himself into one of the chairs surrounding the large meeting table. Matt smirked before continuing. "I actually got an email, but it pretty much said the same stuff," he finished, going to sit beside Mello.

"An email?" Halle asked, looking down at her temporary ward. "You received something else, didn't you, Near?"

The smallest boy hesitated before responding, "Yes. I also received an assortment of toys and dice."

Mello perked up at that, forgetting his anger as he looked at Matt. Matt inclined his head, not an obvious movement, but Near saw it nonetheless.

"Matt and I also receive gifts," Mello glanced at the gamer from the corner of his eye before continuing. "I got a large crate of imported chocolate, and Matt got some new game system."

"It's Sony's newest gaming console; it's not supposed to be released for two years!" He beamed, regardless of the facts irrelevance to the situation.

"What did you do with the items received?" the pale boy asked, moving closer to the table.

Mello scoffed, "Don't you know you're not supposed to eat candy from strangers?"

"I played with mine. What about you?"

The boy paused, "They are being tested in one of my labs right now. I would like to know who is behind all of this."

By this point in their conversation, Near had decided to take a seat. He listened quietly as Mello and Matt made small comments on their new found information, and observed the two carefully.

They seemed far closer than they had ever been. While they were all still residents at Wammy's, Near could recall how the pair had always been close friends; they constantly sought out each others company, and often cause quite an uproar. Whether it be for a spur-of-the-moment prank, or a long and stern lecture from Roger, the two remained together. The difference between then and now, though, was that he could never recall them touching. They had always left a gap between them even if it had been minute.

When he had last seen them, Mello was still distraught over L's recent death, and poor Matt was left to take care of the mourning blond. They left shortly after, using their inheritance as L's heirs to purchase an apartment. It must have been this that cause the change in the two.

The albino continued to observes the two; Mello had his feet on the seat of the chair and his knees were tucked under his chin. He might have looked mad, but the lack of crinkling in his brow made it obvious that he was anything but. Matt was sitting beside him, his chair angled so that he could rest his feet on Mello's chair. He had his arm around the older boy's neck and was absentmindedly playing with Mello's hair.

Near knew there was something else going on with these two, but had little time to contemplate it as the same door he had entered through was suddenly opened.

All heads turned to look in the direction of the door, and Mello jumped up, dislodging the content brunet beside him. A woman entered, her long, auburn hair swishing with every move she made. She came to stand beside Rester, looking completely normal in her dark pants and structured leather jacket.

"Hello." She smiled, her bright blue eyes observing everyone in the room. She nodded at the other woman in the room, "Thank you Halle. I can take over from here."

Everyone was too startled to say anything, and Halle took this as her opportunity to lead Anthony from the room.

"Oh, and Halle," the woman's soft voice rang clear as a bell. "I have Heart sleeping in the other room, would you please watch her?"

Halle smiled and nodded towards the woman before she exited the room; the door this time, though, did not lock.

The room was completely quiet as the woman made her way towards the glass wall, taking the seat at the head of the table so she could clearly see the three children.

"Am I correct in assuming that you have questions for me?" she asked, then looked directly at Mello.

"Damn straight," he scoffed. "Who the fuck are you and what do you want?"

"First of all, Mello, you will refrain from using such foul language. And secondly, I will not refuse to tell you of my identity. You may call me A, and I must warn you, what I have to say will not be pleasant for you to hear."

"Continue regardless," Near said, sounding bored.

She sighed, "I am assuming that you are all aware of each other's true names?" She didn't let them answer before continuing. "Well, I suppose that will be irrelevant soon, so I will just continue. You, Mihael and Nate, are siblings."

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**I normally hate small chapters, and especially cliffhangers, but this story will probably be full of them. Also, this was not checked for grammar, so I apologize for any mistakes. Please let me know if you seen any!**


	2. Family Discussion

**A/N: Hello! I am actually updating on time. I am very proud off myself! I am going to try to continue updating on Wednesdays, but if I fail... Well, don't be surprised. Also, I normally have a 10 page (on Microsoft Works) chapter rule, but in order to have frequent updates, I am having to make them exceptionally smaller. **

**Also, my fantastic beta is sick and has yet to proof read anything. I promise that as soon as she is well, grammar errors will be fixed! **

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"What do you mean we are related? How the hell am I related to- to that!" Mello stumbled over his words. He was once again standing and had one hand place against the table's cool surface while the other he had pointed in the stoic boy's direction.

"It's simple, Mihael. You share the same father. Trust me, you both share many aspects of him. It is almost frightening how similar you seem."

"Who is our father?" Near calmly asked, although he feared the answer he knew the woman would give.

The woman's face fell at that question, and she suddenly found her nails to be very interesting. When she looked up, she seem to be holding back tears. "I'm afraid to say that the late L was in fact your father. You have my condolences."

Mello fell back into his seat when her words clarified in his mind; his father was L. Was that why he had always felt an unusual pull towards the man? He recalled all the times he had met the genius, and things he had considered strange then, now made sense in his mind. He had a father; one parent who had actually seemed to care for his well being, and he only knew after the man had been murdered. He could feel the tears of sadness and frustration begin to pool in his eyes, and he turned from Near so the boy wouldn't be able to see. Matt reached out for his friend, and Mello dropped his head on the brunet's shoulder, refusing to let his tears fall.

Near took in all of this information with little more than a sigh. He had long expected the slight physical resemblances between L, Mello, and himself was more than mere coincidence, and found he was able to accept this conformation easily.

"I'm sorry, but there's more. It pertains to you, Mail," she said, watching as Near's head tilted slightly and Mello's did the same. Matt looked up and waited for her to continue. "I refuse to say anything about your father, but-" she hesitated, looking nervous. "I- I am your mother. I know this will be difficult for you to accept, but if you are willing to let me be a part of your life, I will answer all of you questions!"

A had sounded desperate; her voice was pleading and her eyes even more so. Near took these as signs that she had meant what she said, but Matt didn't seem to notice. He stood, practically shoving Mello back into his own chair, before he stormed to the unlocked door and left the room.

Mello's concern was obvious as he too stood to follow his friend.

"Mihael," she said, looking down at the table, her hand presses against her forehead. "Mello, whichever you prefer... Leave him for now. I didn't expect him to react differently." She paused again. "I have more information for the two of you."

Mello looked between the woman and the door, but his own curiosity won over his concern for Matt's well being. He knew his friend was strong; he was probably just smoking a pack... Or two.

Speaking of smoking, the woman took a thin, gold cigarette case from her inside jacket pocket and pulled a thin cancer stick out, placing it between her lips. "Sorry, hope you don't mind." She was talking specifically to Near as she said this.

"No. I am used to people who smoke," he replied, pulling at a piece of his hair for the first time since entering the room.

Mello sat down watching the woman, A, as she proceeded to light the cigarette and took a long, slow drag. She looked back up at the two of them, and as she did so, she flipped her shaggy bangs from her eyes.

It was in that moment that Mello saw Matt in the woman. As he looked closer, he realized that her eyes were the same unnatural blue as his friends, and her hair, while far more red than Matt's, held the same pink tint when under fluorescent lights.

She had similar bone structure as Matt, and they had the exact same nose. There was no denying it now; A was Mail's mother.

She had just expelled the last of the smoke from her lungs, and was now putting out the still burning butt on the surface of the mahogany table. Once done, she let out a deep sigh, dropped the remains of her cigarette, and opened her mouth to speak, but Mello beat her to it.

"How could you?" he asked; you could hear the raging emotions in his voice. "He is your son! Do you have any idea how long he has wanted to know about his parents? The only thing he wanted when we were kids was to have a mom! You abandoned him, and now you come back sixteen years later and beg for him to take you back..." Mello paused, his eyes burning with anger. His hands were clenched where he had them lying on the table. "You don't deserve him."

At that, A stood up, slamming her hands down on the table, making even Near jump in his seat. "Don't you dare tell me that! You have no idea why I gave him up."

"It doesn't matter why, the point is you still disregarded him his entire life." Mello joined the woman in standing, and Near watched as the two glared at each other. Mello had met his match when it came to someone with a temper.

Finally Mello looked away, saying, "You probably did it because you didn't want to deal with having a kid. Because you were a selfish bitch."

A pushed away from the table and stalked over to where Mello stood. She grabbed the boy by his black v-neck, and lifted him to her eye level. "I was twelve years old when I gave birth, Mihael. You try raising a child when you yourself are one. It broke my heart the day I decided to leave him with Watari. The man had raised me and I knew he would keep my son safe. I have always loved Mail, and I counted the days until I knew I could have him back."

She released Mello and he dropped back into his chair. She stood up straight, releasing a deep sigh, before placing one hand on her hip. She had regained control of her emotions.

"I'm sorry. I should have never reacted like that. Please forgive me." She bowed, a gesture that was entirely Asian though she was clearly European. "Perhaps we should continue with the issue at hand." She returned to her seat.

"What is left to say?" Near finally questioned.

A ran her hand through her hair before replying, "As you two are now aware of your father's identity, I would like you to take up residence in my home. We would not be leaving the country, and if you so desired, you and Mail would be allowed to keep your townhouse. You are not required to answer today, but I would like a reply in the next few weeks. Also, please realize, should you deny my offer, I will continue to keep track of you and your affairs."

Both boys remained silent, considering the offer. A few minutes later, Near asked, "Should I accept your offer, will you answer questions I may have about L?"

A smiled, though it was still sad. "Yes, I will not keep information about him from his children."

"Very well, then I accept your offer." Near stood, headed towards the door. "Am I correct in assuming that you will take care of my belongings?"

She nodded. "Halle will help you."

With that said, Near opened the door and left the room. Mello remained silent, looking at the door long after the younger had left. He was greatly tempted by A's offer. But he was also repulsed by the idea of living with Near. A could see the teens mind working as she continued to stare at Mello. He was weighing his options.

"I know that you are concerned about living with your brother." She saw him flinch when she spoke the word. "I understand that you feel inferior, even if you don't realize that's what you are feeling. I worked with L for many years; he was my closest friend, and I loved him dearly. But it wasn't always like that. I hated him for so long. He was always better than I was, always one step ahead. So I competed with him, and would yell at him, and call him names... And you know what he did?" she questioned, looking at him. When he didn't answer she continued with a laugh, "Nothing. He just ignored me. Does that sound familiar?"

Mello looked away, not answering her questions. She just laughed. "You remind me of myself. When I was your age, I could do no wrong. I was proud, had an attitude, and a short temper. I bet if I gave you a gun, you would wave it around just like I did." She sighed. "There's nothing wrong with being the underdog, Mello. It actually shows how much better you are than the one on top. You will always have to work harder than the rest, and the fact that you face every obstacle without fear tells me that you are not worried about losing. But when you do lose, don't take it to heart. Because whether you like it or not, you will lose... at least once."

Mello just stared at her; A's words were like a fist to the gut. He was still angry at the woman for causing Matt pain, but he also felt that he could come to like her. He was willing to give living with her a try. Although, his decision mostly depended on Matt's.

"Go and find him," she said, her chin resting in her palm. "He is upset, and I know that you can help him. But take this before you leave the building, just in case you decide to accept my offer." She slid a small object across the table towards him; it was a flip phone. "My number is programmed in, call me, even if it's just to tell me no."

Mello nodded, standing from the table, and headed towards the door. He opened it, but hesitated from exiting. "I think, if he knew the truth, he would be willing to forgive you. I know I am more inclined to do so, and I never forgive people."

And with that, he left A alone in the room to think on all that had transpired.

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**Quick note, it is possible for a twelve year old to get pregnant; it's just not very acceptable!**


	3. Family Wanted?

**A/N: Hello, and sorry for the late update! I was in process of writing a Valentine's Day story for one of my beloved besties, and forgot to update. The good news, though, is that I plan to have that story posted by tomorrow. The bad news, because I was working on another story, this chapter is very, and I do mean ****_very, _****short. So, I hope you enjoy this, and still no editing has been done on this story... Sorry!**

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When Near exited the room, intending to find his caretakers, he decided to follow the faint sound of voices. After walking for a good while down a long, rather dark hall, he came upon a large living space. Halle was sitting on one of the couches in the middle of the room, a small child held in her arms. Matt sat on the floor before her, one of his fingers clasped in the baby's hand as the child's peals of laughter reverberated in the quiet room. Near continued to watch Matt as he played with the small child, a smile on the brunet's face. He withdrew his finger from the little girl's hand, and he and Halle laughed when she began to whimper.

Near decided to make his presence known, and he stepped fully into the room. Matt looked up at the noise Near's footsteps made, and when the brunet saw the younger boy, his smile fell. He stood, ignoring Halle's questioning look and the child's cries of protest, and made his way to the door across the room.

The door closed quietly behind him as he left.

Near chose to ignore the emotionally distressed boy, and walked over the the couch that Halle had occupied.

"How did it go," she asked as Near brought his bare feet onto the cushions.

"Why did you not inform me that you knew of this plan?" He dismissed her question entirely, opting to ask his own.

The older woman sighed, looking down at the yawning little girl in her arms. "I've only met A twice. I knew she worked with L, and he held her in very high regards. So, when she called me and asked me to bring you to a meeting she was holding, I was quick to tell her I would do so." She stopped to look over at the boy, her eyes showing her regret for lying to him. "A is the new L. I wasn't about to disobey her; and I knew she had something important to tell you."

Near chose to ignore the way Halle had deceived him; she was following orders, yes, but she also could have put him in great danger simply by trusting A. Wammy heirs were not above killing each other to obtain the title L, and they certainly were not above killing to keep that title. Still, he found himself glad that she had followed A's instructions.

Truth be told, he was proud to find that he was a son of L. And despite his utter lack of expressed emotions, the pain of L's death had doubled when he heard the truth. He was not as emotionless as some, mainly Mello, thought him to be; he had great emotion, he simply chose not to always show it.

He also found that he was becoming eager to move in with A. He might not have realized at the time, but when she displayed her love and passion for her son, Near grew envious of Matt. Like any child who is abandoned, Near too wanted parents; and his desire for a mother was tremendous. He subconsciously wanted A to fill that role.

He also found himself hoping that Mello would decide to take her up on offer. Since he now knew that Mello was his brother - probably a half-brother- he wanted the older boy to accept the fact, and most importantly, he wanted Mello to accept him. Near had always cared for the blond, finding him to be a calming companion despite the older's explosive temper.

It was with little effort that Near then realized that while he did not know what his life would soon be like, he found himself not caring. He knew what he desired, and that was a family.

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**I cannot seem to write Near without making him OOC (out of character)! So, this boy will probably be a little more emotional than normal. Sorry Near fans!**


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